Whether you're cheering or groaning over the end of the school year, it's here, and for parents of children with chronic health conditions or special needs (as, let's face it, with everything else for us), there's extra work to do. As the mom of a third grader with severe, nonverbal autism and the mom of a first grader with a chocolate allergy, I'm not just wrapping up the year and looking forward to summer vacation. I'm doing year-end IEP meetings and coordinating with summer camp personnel to make appropriate arrangements for their care all summer long. Don't get me wrong. We have a healthy dose of FUN planned for the summer, but making that happen ... well, it just takes a bit more planning when you're a special-needs parent.

This week marks the Fifth Annual Diabetes Blog Week, headed up by one of our favorite DBloggers and a true DOC leader, Karen Graffeo of Bitter~Sweet Diabetes. Diabetes Blog Week is an inspiring, empowering week during which upwards of 175 DOC bloggers join together and commit to blogging daily on a set of pre-determined topics.

It's Christmas. For many, that means presents, family, and lots and lots of food. When you're cooking for a family that includes people with food allergies, food intolerances or sensitivities, diabetes, Celiac disease, other health conditions, or special diets such as gluten-free or paleo, preparing those holiday feasts can be a little overwhelming. Fortunately, we've got some great ideas right here on the Lauren's Hope blog to help keep everyone safe AND well-fed this holiday season.

People often want to wear the colors associated with their conditions. For example, here at Lauren's Hope, we receive messages from people with Multiple Sclerosis asking for more orange bracelets and from people with Addison's Disease asking for more light blue bracelets. People with Epilepsy request purple, as do those with lupus and fibromyalgia. Wearing the color associated with one's condition is an empowering choice, one that helps people raise awareness in a positive, intentional way.

TGI-FSF!!

Yes! It's Friday! And better yet, it's FREE STUFF FRIDAY! We engrave hundreds and thousands of medical ID plaques here at Lauren's Hope, and every once in a while, our awesome engraving team gets a request that makes us chuckle or just say, "Awwwww!" such as this engraving on Andrew Mills' Napoli medical ID bracelet, which he ordered in honor of his girlfriend, Celeste Morris, and was kind enough to share with us.

Top Risk Factors For Hypertension

For people with hypertension, or high blood pressure, medical alert bracelets are an extra layer of protection against serious complications from a cardiac event. If your blood pressure is high most of the time (that is, not just when you’re nervous at the doctor or have been drinking excessive amounts of caffeine, but high in resting and moderately active states), your doctor will likely run additional tests, measure your blood pressure at various points in the day, and diagnose you with high blood pressure. This means your blood pressure is usually 140/90 or above. Normal blood pressure is 120/80 or below (it can be too low, however, which is also potentially problematic).